The Instigation - No Way Out E.P.

Being that the bands personnel span three continents.
(Members currently reside in Japan, China, England and Canada) It's hard to fathom the idea they ever found themselves playing shows, let alone finding the collective time to hit the studio to record 'No Way Out'.

Judging from these four songs, one can only be happy they had the chance.

The Instigation play excellent Hardcore Punk with a smattering of Garage and Street Punk thrown in for good measure. On their second Ep, they don't stray far from their roots as "Loud, Fast, Rules" dominates. 'No Way Out''s'
four tracks. The aggression and raw power on display here remind this listener of
Rollins era Black Flag.

The surprise bonus to come out of this was their cover of Reagan Youth's 'Degenerated'. Unlike the band that's currently flogging that dead horse,
they do a really excellent job of speeding things up a bit while being respectful to the songs origin. The Instigation more than warrant further investigation. Go check them out. James Damion

The Instigation  Get it Here

.

The Abused - Loud and Clear

After years of rumors and talk of an official and definitive re-issue of The Abused epic 1983 release 'Loud and Clear'  Radio Raheem Records step up to make a true classic from New York Hardcore's early days available again.

'Loud and Clear' Collects 21 tracks which feature the "Loud and Clear" 7 inch, their 1982 demo and never before heard live tracks. If that's not impressive enough.
(And it very well should be.)
The album, which comes in all it's gatefold glory, is accompanied by an impressive 24-page, full color booklet containing photos, lyrics and the band's infamous show flyers drawn by their vocalist Kevin Crowley, as well as a sticker sheet replicating original Abused sticker designs. Classics like 'Wargames', 'Nuclear Threat', 'Blow Your Brains Out' and the oft covered 'Drug Free Youth' sound incredible. Essential listening for fans of early Agnostic Front, Cause For Alarm, The Mob and Urban Waste.

A lot of respect goes out to everyone involved with putting this together. The overall quality merits praise.Everything from the music to the art, layout, attention to quality and detail are so well done. It's great to see the band and it legacy get it's due. James Damion

Big Cartel  Get it Here

Sacrilege - Thoughts are the Dreams till their Effects are Tried

The latest entry in documenting some of the lesser celebrated Hardcore/Punk bands from
New York's now storied history comes to us from what has always been a reliable source of quality in
 Freddy Alva and Wardance Records. Sacrilege, a short lived, mid level band whose activity took place during a time where
New York's Hardcore scene was going through a transitional phase. A time in which many of the old guard of '82 bands had either disbanded or had entered the realm of crossover. (A melding of Hardcore, Metal and Thrash)
A time that seemed like a holding pattern where the streets of the
Lower East Side and the Bowery were sort of tidying things up for the next wave of bands to arrive. It was post Rat Cage / Pre Revelation, so to say.

The short lived band notably featured former and future members of Agnostic Front,
Reagan Youth, Murphy's Law and Nausea. Relations that surely helped the band get on it's share of bills with such better known acts. The records A side features the bands 1985 nine song demo recorded at Don Fury's legendary Demo Demo Studio. While the B side features Bolt Studio demo recorded later in '85. When listened to in sequence the Don Fury sessions trump that of the Bolt session. Overall "Thoughts are the Dreams till their Effects are Tried" is a nice document of a time in New York Hardcore's history that is often overlooked and perfectly depicts a mid level band playing during a time of change and uncertainty in the NYHC scene.

The record includes liner notes from guitarist Victor Venom, bassist Adam Mucci and Wardance Records own Freddy Alva. Each painting an accurate picture of the bands history and what the NYHC scene was like at the time. (It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.) The lyrics, images and old show flyers really add to the overall story.
As I mentioned, I had never seen the band live but the"Halloween Monster Mash" show flyer was one of the countless gems that adorned my wall at the UNITE headquarters back in the late 80's.

Personally, I wasn't sure what to expect from this this. Having never heard their demos or seen them live. Sacrilege seemed like a band that just missed the boat, slipped through the cracks or maybe, just weren't that good to begin with. In the end, I'm glad I had the chance to find out for myself.
James Damion

Wardance Records Bandcamp  Name your price
Wardance Records Support